1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector which has contacts for press-fitting onto a circuit board, and more particularly to an electrical connector for facilitating safe insertion of its contacts into the circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of electrical connectors have contacts engagable with through holes of a circuit board without requiring soldering. It is generally difficult to attach such connectors to a circuit board without special tools. The electrical connector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,787 seeks to overcome this difficulty. The connector is attached to a circuit board by applying an insertion force directly to a top surface of a housing thereof, instead of using a tool. The connector comprises the housing and a plurality of contacts. The housing has a plurality of cavities separated by thin walls. Each contact has a contact portion to mate with a mating connector, and a tail bending perpendicularly toward the circuit board and secured therein. Each contact also has a pair of support members extending from opposite edges of a body of the contact. The support members are bent to form a C-shape in conjunction with the body, to prevent the body from moving downwardly when the insertion force is applied.
Unfortunately, each support member is only in essentially linear contact with a lower wall of the cavity of the housing. Thus the support area is relatively small, and the support member cannot withstand a large insertion force. Downward movement of the body of the contact frequently occurs during attachment, resulting in damage to the contact. More over, the support member has a relatively complicated structure, resulting in more complex manufacturing and increased costs.
An electrical connector having enhanced contacts is desired to overcome the above-mentioned problems of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having contacts with support fingers which minimize the risk of damage to the contacts during attachment of the connector to a circuit board.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector which is firmly attachable to a circuit board and easily manufactured.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention is mountable to a mounting surface of a circuit board for being electrically connected to circuitry on the circuit board. The connector includes an insulative housing having a top surface and a bottom surface, and a plurality of contacts. The bottom surface is adapted to be mounted to the mounting surface. The housing has a plurality of spaced cavities formed therein, stacked vertically between the top and bottom surfaces and separated by a center wall and thin walls. Each cavity is thereby bounded by an upper wall and a lower wall.
A plurality of contacts is received in the housing, one contact in each respective cavity. Each contact has a horizontal main body, a contact portion extending from an end of the main body for receiving a pin contact of a mating connector, and a mounting member extending perpendicularly from an opposite end of the main body. The contact portion comprises an upper contact leaf and a lower contact leaf bent toward each other. An upper surface of the main body and an end of the lower contact leaf respectively abut against opposite lower and upper walls of the corresponding cavity. Each contact has a plate-like support finger extending obliquely from the main body. The support finger has a suspending end parallel to the main body and extending toward the mounting member, for bearing against the lower wall of the corresponding cavity. The main body is thereby prevented from moving downwardly relative to the contact.